Hulkenberg says no Le Mans for now

Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg has said that he doesn't think he will be able to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans any time soon.

The German won the round-the-clock French Classic at his first attempt last year, driving for Porsche alongside Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy.

He was unable to make a return this year due to the race's clash with the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan and he predicts that he wont be returning to the race until he is finished in Formula One.

"Firstly, winning is always cool, it's why I became a racing driver. But to do it with a big project and a brand like Porsche was mega-exciting," Hulkenberg said.

"After my time in formula one I definitely want to go there and do it again. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be the case in the foreseeable future that I will be able to do both (series) in parallel," he added.

Hulkenberg, often regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid, has so far been outshone by team mate Sergio Perez who is now courting the interest of Ferrari, a team previously on Hulkenberg's radar.

But he isn't surprised by the Mexican's performance in 2016, saying: "Not really. Already in the second half of last year he was very consistent."

The former Williams driver has pinned much of his early season woes on bad luck,.

"My season until Monaco had a lot of bad luck. I had so many problems -- not just in the race but also qualifying, and many things that are known only within the team," he said. "Sure, when it comes to how you look more generally it's not always ideal, but sometimes you just have to swallow the pill of bad luck."

Nevertheless, the 2009 GP2 champion believes he made the right choice by pledging his future to Force India last year.

"Since Barcelona we made a really big step forward with the update and now we are very well positioned for the rest of the season," he said.